Walking the Ten Thousand Daos

Chapter 63: The Wealthy Household

Soon, the morning passed, and by midday, with the sun high in the sky, Li Qi had sold most of the furs at his desired prices.

Furs sold well and meat was no problem, but some bones remained.

After all, there weren't many uses for beast bones, yet they weren't cheap. One had to risk life and limb hunting in the wilderness to acquire them, so the price would never be too low, making them less popular.

He waited for an entire morning until the meat and furs were sold out, and even the mountain produce was gone, but some bones still remained.

"One hundred twenty-five... one hundred twenty-six... Ah, I already have six thousand one hundred twenty-six qian. Never mind, what doesn't sell won't sell. Let's pack up and go buy clothes first," Li Qi said to Shen Shuibi, counting the diao of money on him.

One diao was a thousand qian, and then there were one hundred twenty-six loose qian, making seven bundles in total. He counted each one carefully, tied them with string, and then fastened them to his body, hanging them from his arm.

It was absolutely impossible for them to be stolen; they were right there in plain sight.

With his current arm strength, having over six thousand qian wrapped around one arm no longer significantly affected his movements.

Shen Shuibi quickly nodded. In this bustling place, filled with people and requiring constant interaction, the rabbit, who preferred tranquility and had grown up on an immortal mountain, was very unaccustomed. Upon hearing they were leaving, she immediately helped Li Qi pack up his stall.

But just then, someone suddenly stepped forward and spoke: "Hey, young brother, are these goat bones, fox bones, and turtle shells all being sold by you?"Shen Shuibi immediately pulled back her hand and resumed squatting, feigning death.

Li Qi, however, revealed a broad white smile, leaned forward, and said cheerfully, "Yes, I'm selling them. Big brother, are you interested in buying? I'm just about to pack up. All of these, a total of one thousand qian, you can take them all. This is a real bargain."

While speaking, Li Qi casually sized up the other person.

"Look at these bones, they're stark white and very healthy. Whether used for divination bones or carved into bone pieces, they're excellent quality. This here is a goat skull, hard as iron, with horns still attached. It can be used in medicine, ground into bone powder, it can invigorate blood, circulate qi, dispel wind, and relieve cold, you see," Li Qi immediately launched into sales mode, expertly introducing his goods to the unexpected customer before him.

"The items are good, and they look like they were butchered just these past few days. One thousand qian, the price is fair, I'll take them," the man who had appeared said directly and without hesitation.

As he spoke, Li Qi finished his assessment of the man.

He appeared to be a wealthy householder. His clothes were cotton, embroidered with patterns and he himself looked plump and quite amiable, with two neatly trimmed small mustaches.

How to describe him...

He looked a bit like the God of Wealth.

Like the kind depicted in New Year's door paintings.

"Alright, I'll pack them up for you right away!" Although the man had a rather comical appearance, his willingness to spend one thousand qian on these items made him a genuine God of Wealth. Li Qi immediately bent down to pack up his beast bones for him.

These beast bones came in many varieties, each with different uses. He had no idea what the man intended to do with them all, but he surmised it was certainly nothing ordinary.

But it didn't matter. Li Qi didn't care about such things. All he wanted was to quickly sell them off, then get new clothes, buy other essential travel items, and continue on his journey.

"No, no, even if you pack them, I can't carry them. Look at me, I'm quite frail," the wealthy man waved his hand. "Since I'm taking all of them, would you mind delivering them for free? It's not far, just on the west side of the city. I'll pay you once they're delivered."

"Alright! Please lead the way, boss!" Li Qi readily agreed. Conveniently, there was also a tailor shop selling clothes on the west side of the city, so it would be on their way.

The wealthy man smiled and lead the way, with Li Qi carrying the beast bones and following him towards the west of the city.

Seeing this, Shen Shuibi also stood up and followed behind Li Qi.

"This young lady is...?" The wealthy man looked at Shen Shuibi with some curiosity.

"This is my little sister; I brought her into the city to broaden her horizons," Li Qi said, subtly shielding Shen Shuibi.

"Your little sister? That's quite unusual, she doesn't resemble you at all~." The wealthy man heard this and chuckled, laughing aloud.

"You're dark-skinned, with calluses on your shoulders, clearly a laborer, either a boatman or a porter. But look at your little sister, she's as fair as a porcelain doll, a complete young lady from a good family. How could she be your sister?" he asked.

"Boss, I used to be fair too, but with the wind and sun, any fair skin will turn dark," Li Qi scratched his head, feigning a casual tone. "But my little sister is different; I wouldn't bear to let her go out and labor."

"That's true. I also have a little sister who isn't as beautiful as yours, but as brothers, we'd rather endure more hardship than let our little sisters toil," the wealthy man seemed to resonate deeply with this, saying so.

Shen Shuibi, of course, followed with her head down, not uttering a word.

Although she was following behind, she acted as if she hadn't heard anything, keeping her eyes cast downwards.

This was what Li Qi had instructed and she, not being adept at socializing, was quite content with this arrangement where she didn't have to worry.

The trio continued their journey until they reached the west side of the city.

In the west of the city, there stood a large mansion.

It appeared to be a very luxurious mansion, befitting the wealthy man's status and financial resources.

However, what struck Li Qi as odd was the absence of servants and housekeepers within. Even the stone lions at the entrance were covered in moss, suggesting they hadn't been cared for in a long time.

Yet, there was still cooking smoke emanating from inside, indicating a human presence.

Li Qi remained vigilant because he noticed that the wealthy man had left his house without any attendants.

"My family has a rule not to employ servants, but the mansion is large, making it difficult to maintain. Please excuse the mess," the wealthy man said with a smile, then pushed open the door.

A gust of chilly wind swept through, making Li Qi shiver.

Upon opening the door, a cross-breeze immediately hit them, and an old blind woman sat in the courtyard.

"Mother, why are you sitting here again? It's cold here, why don't you go inside and warm yourself by the fire!" The wealthy man quickly walked in, helping the blind old woman and saying with concern.

However, he immediately turned around and pulled a speck of gold from his pocket: "This is about one-tenth of a gold piece, roughly one thousand qian. Take it. The beast bones can be left there. You two may go."

From start to finish, the blind old woman showed no reaction and did not speak.

Li Qi nodded, took the gold and weighed it. The amount seemed about right.

One gold piece was worth ten thousand qian, so one-tenth of a gold piece was approximately one thousand qian.

Although Li Qi felt that the mansion was emanating an ominous aura and was certainly not normal, he had no mind to delve deeper at the moment. He had received his payment, delivered the goods, and was ready to leave.

So, after verifying the gold, he put down the beast bones, shouldered his back basket and taking Shen Shuibi, they departed.

However, after they had left the mansion, Shen Shuibi quietly remarked, "That little girl just now seemed to be a diviner."

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